We are seeking a Senior Director of Project Management for Johns Hopkins University's Project Management Office who will focus on leading, managing, and executing projects for the Finance & Administration Division and the broader university. The Senior Director of Project Management serves both as a strong leader and manager of individual projects and of the staff in the Project Management Office, ensuring that all assigned projects successfully meet institutional goals, deliver impactful results, and drive excellence.
The Senior Director of Project Management serves as an operational and strategic leader of the Project Management Office, with the following key responsibilities :
- Overseeing and developing the individual project managers.
- Managing resource distribution and allocation across the project management portfolio.
- Helping to define the scope of each project at the point of initiation including goals, timelines, budgets, and objectives.
- Tracking, communicating, and reporting on project status to senior leaders.
- Auditing project deliverables, timelines, and budgets.
- Setting standards for project management practices.
The Senior Director of Project Management also develops and maintains a standardized project management methodology and approach to the full project lifecycle. This methodology includes standard deliverable templates, procedure documents, and training materials and focuses on common project management topics like status reporting, project initiation procedures, roles and responsibilities, milestone tracking, and budget management. The Senior Director of Project Management shares and provides training on this methodology with leaders across the institution to ensure appropriate and consistent project management practices are followed even on projects outside the purview of the Project Management Office.
Additionally, the Senior Director of Project Management leads the design and implementation of individual projects as appropriate. To support this work, the Senior Director of Project Management may work as a project manager on certain high-profile initiatives.
In this capacity, the Senior Director of Project Management will, in partnership with other project stakeholders :
Manage the scope of these projects including goals, timelines, budgets, and objectives.Develop and execute project plans, budgets, timelines, and risk mitigation strategies, monitoring and reporting on progress and outcomes.Complete individual activities required to complete the projects including analysis, benchmarking, data collection, and materials development.Oversee project teams and resources including project managers and staff from other offices.Identify and resolve any conflicts, challenges, or barriers that may arise during the project lifecycle, and escalate them as appropriate.As a member of the Finance & Administration Division and citizen of Johns Hopkins University, the Senior Director of Project Management supports the advancement of the University’s mission, values, and goals, particularly those related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Senior Director of Project Management also helps to foster a supportive and welcoming environment in the office and represents the office and Finance & Administration Division appropriately.
Specific Duties and Responsibilities :
Responsibility (50%) – Oversee the Project Management Office
Provide day-to-day leadership and management of the Project Management Office with the objective of building infrastructure, aligning leadership, and moving key strategic priorities forward.Oversee and develop the staff in the Project Management Office including providing direction, guidance, and training.Oversee the portfolio of projects assigned to the Project Management Office, ensuring they are completed on time, within scope, and on budget.Establish the portfolio metrics and monitoring tools to maintain and measure project status and benefits to the institution including project ROI.Aid with project design, business case development, and authorization of projects assigned to the Project Management Office.Track and provide project status and audit reports to senior leadership.Manage the risk, issue, and change resolution process, and work with other leaders to take corrective action as needed.Provide leadership with the information needed to assess and decide which proposals have the higher potential value, impact, and strategic alignment.Interface with key leaders to define project priorities, implementation opportunities, challenges and communicate project risks and opportunities.Responsibility (10%) – Develop and Maintain the Project Management Methodology
Streamline and centralize usage of project management tools to manage dependencies and transparent delivery milestones.Develop, implement, and govern project management processes, tools, templates, policies, and metrics.Develop and maintain project management deliverable templates, procedure documents, and training materials.Responsibility (20%) – Lead Individual Special Projects
Develop and manage key project deliverables including project plans, budgets, timelines, status reports, presentation materials, reports, and risk mitigation strategies.Complete individual activities required to complete the projects including analysis, benchmarking, data collection, and materials development.Oversee project teams and resources including project managers and staff from other offices.Manage the risk, issue, and change resolution process, and work with other leaders to take corrective action as needed.Provide leadership with the information needed to make decisions for the projects.Track and provide project status and audit reports.Make presentations to and communicate with senior university leaders regarding the special projects.Responsibility (20%) – Develop Institutional Capacity for Project Management
Collaborate with project managers and staff outside of the Project Management Office to implement the project management methodology and best practices to positively impact the institution and support the strategic initiatives.Coach and mentor project management practitioners outside the Project Management Office and share knowledge of best practices.Advise senior Finance & Administration leaders regarding other special projects which are not assigned to the Project Management Office.Aid senior Finance & Administration leaders with the design, business case development, and authorization of strategic projects and initiatives.Support the conception and development of new special projects through idea generation / conceptualization, requirements development, planning, and analysis.Special Knowledge, Skills and Abilities :
Strong experience in project leadership and management, preferably in a large, complex, and decentralized organization.Expert-level knowledge of project and change management methodologies, techniques, and processes.Ability to manage and develop a diverse team of project managers at varying levels of experience and expertise.Excellent verbal and written communication skills across multiple levels of stakeholders.Ability to take complex concepts and translate them into a digestible format as needed based on the audience.Ability to develop processes for the Project Management Office that allow nimbleness and the ability to quickly adapt to a dynamic environment and changes in priorities.Ability to build consensus among diverse senior leaders and manage sensitive situations.Ability to influence decision-makers to support communication needs using correct tone, style, and agreements.Demonstrated ability to manage multiple initiatives concurrently, balancing multiple priorities, working with minimal supervision, and meeting deadlines.Budget, cost, and profitability management skills.Ability to influence without authority.Flexible, adaptable, and resourceful when managing changing timelines and multiple deliverables.Motivation to build relationships at senior levels.Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor's Degree or equivalent work experience.Ten years of related experience with strong project management, process development and collaborative influence skills.Additional education may substitute for required experience and additional related experience may substitute for required education, to the extent permitted by the JHU equivalency formula.Preferred Qualifications
Graduate’s Degree in a related field.PMP certification.Experience working in higher education, non-profit, or social sector organizations.Experience in finance, accounting, human resources, information technology, and / or general administration.Willingness to travel domestically to support the office as needed.Classified Title : Sr. Director, Project Management Office
Job Posting Title (Working Title) : Senior Director for Project Management
Role / Level / Range : L / 04 / LJ
Starting Salary Range : $165,000 - $288,900 Annually (Commensurate with experience)
Employee group : Full Time
Schedule : Monday - Friday 8 : 30am - 5 : 00pm
Exempt Status : Exempt
Location : Homewood Campus
Department name : EVP for Finance and Admin Off of
Personnel area : University Administration
J-18808-Ljbffr
Salary : $165,000 - $288,900
